Bike advocates have their sights set on making Burlington a standout city for walking and cycling, and after heated debate city councilors advanced a plan to make that happen.

The comprehensive plan, which has been under development for several years, sets out to make Burlington "the best small city for walking and biking on the East Coast." About 100 people attended the meeting in support of the plan, holding signs and wearing t-shirts. All 20 people who spoke during the public forum voiced their support of the plan.

Ten councilors approved the plan, though some did so after expressing hesitations about the details. While Councilors Dave Hartnett, who ran as a Democrat/Republican from the North District, and Kurt Wright, a Republican who represents Ward 4, cast the two dissenting votes.

"It just goes way way too far for cyclists," Hartnett said on Monday afternoon. "We have a problem now downtown with the traffic."

The plan, developed by the Department of Public Works with help from three consulting firms, envisions a dense network of various types of bicycle lanes, upgrades intersections that crash data shows as most dangerous, and plans for engineering upgrades to several city streets to create "slow zones." The plan has the support of Mayor Miro Weinberger, who called for its implementation in his State of the City.

Several councilors, including Joan Shannon, D-South District, and Sharon Foley Bushor, I-Ward 1, expressed some concerns about whether a yes vote meant approving every detail of the 233-page plan.

"You have to look at this as a visioning document," Shannon said. City Attorney Eileen Blackwood confirmed that many of the details in the plan would come to the council or to a council committee for further votes before being approved.

Councilor Max Tracy, P-Ward 2, introduced the resolution to support implementation of the plan with a passionate speech about the need for better cycling infrastructure.

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Chapin Spencer and Mike Lydon present the Walk Bike Plan in front of the Burlington City Council and a crowd of cycling advocates on April 17, 2017(Photo: JESS ALOE/FREE PRESS)

The plan, he said, is about safety for everybody, including walkers, bikers and drivers, and opening up cycling as a year-round transportation option. The process is about creating conditions that allow people who want to walk and bike to feel like they can do so safely. Tracy also praised the plan's focus on equity.

Many people in Burlington ride already, but they tend to be younger white males, he said.

"We don't see the same levels of participation across the spectrum," he said. "That's because white males in our society generally are used to taking up public space."

Burlingtonians could see changes to city streets as early as this summer. Nicole Losch, a senior planner with the city, said they will be taking a flexible approach with the initial phases, focusing on using materials that could be quickly set up or taken down. She added that the city plans to stay engaged in conversation with neighborhoods throughout the process.

Hartnett said he was concerned about the loss of parking spaces downtown and the assumption that Burlington could be a year-round cycling city. The plan includes several steps to encourage winter biking.

Councilor Karen Paul, D-Ward 6, pointed out that Reykjavik, Iceland — which lies about 20 degrees north latitude of Burlington — has a robust cycling culture.

"If Iceland can do it, maybe some of us can move to Iceland," Hartnett said in response to Paul.

He also said he had heard from many New North End residents who were not in favor of the project and many of them had concerns about traffic throughout the city.

"What do you say to the people in the New North End who have the experience with the protected bike lanes?" he asked Department of Public Works Director Chapin Spencer.

Spencer replied that there are a "variety" of tools and approaches to try.

Local Motion, a walking and cycling advocacy group, and the Burlington Walk Bike Council are collaborating on a project to track the city's progress, said Jason Van Driesche, the acting executive director of Local Motion.

"The city has excellent plans and strong interest in carrying out those plans," he said. "Follow-through is always more assured if citizens stay involved."

Contact Jess Aloe at 802-660-1874 or jaloe@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @jess_aloe